Current Students | Cell & Molecular Biology Graduate Group | Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

Benjamin Smood

Cell Biology, Physiology, and Metabolism
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Advisor(s):

Katsuhide Maeda

Nelida Robles Ramirez

Microbiology, Virology, and Parasitology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

Ken Cadwell

Rachel Welles (she/her)

Cell Biology, Physiology, and Metabolism
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

Melike Lakadamyali

Max Wadley (he/him/his)

Cell Biology, Physiology, and Metabolism
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

Roderick O'Connor
Matthew Good

Anna Thickens

Cancer Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

Crystal Conn

Ananya Talikoti (she/her/hers)

Gene Therapy and Vaccines
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

Kiran Musunuru

Kaitlyn Toy

Cancer Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

Liling Wan

Nehalee Surve (she/her/hers)

Gene Therapy and Vaccines
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

Matthew Weitzman

Lauren Olenick (she/her/hers)

Gene Therapy and Vaccines
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

Kyla Ortved
Hansell Stedman

Shirley Sun

Cancer Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

Nikolaos Sgourakis

Kevin Newcombe (he/him/his)

Gene Therapy and Vaccines
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

Kiran Musunuru
Daniel Claiborne

Kim Manning (she/her/hers)

Cancer Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

Liling Wan

Alyssa Moore (she/her/hers)

Genetics and Epigenetics
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

Kahlilia Blanco

Clara Malekshahi (she/her/hers)

Microbiology, Virology, and Parasitology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

Scott Hensley

Kendall Lundgreen

Microbiology, Virology, and Parasitology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

Laurence Eisenlohr

Connor Hennessey (he/him)

Cancer Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

Adam Wolpaw

Sang Yub (Kevin) Kim (he/him/his)

Developmental, Stem Cell, and Regenerative Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

Thomas Leung
Mark Kahn

Savana Hadjipantali (she/her/hers)

Genetics and Epigenetics
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

Lan Lin

Beatriz Goncalves (she/her)

Cancer Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

Xiaowei Xu

Tessa Fitch (she/her)

Developmental, Stem Cell, and Regenerative Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

Erika Holzbaur

Ryan Gaspar (he/him)

Cell Biology, Physiology, and Metabolism
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

Zoltan Arany
Joe Baur

Noah Ford

Gene Therapy and Vaccines
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

Roderick O'Connor
Kathryn Wellen

Jack Dowling (he/him/his)

Microbiology, Virology, and Parasitology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

Paul Lieberman

Dominique Doyle (she/her/hers)

Developmental, Stem Cell, and Regenerative Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

Jarod Zepp

Tanis Dorwart (she/her)

Cancer Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

Kara Bernstein

Miguel Palma (he/him/his)

Cell Biology, Physiology, and Metabolism
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Vivian Zhong (she/her/hers)

Developmental, Stem Cell, and Regenerative Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

Fanxin Long

Isabel Vargas (she/her/hers)

Microbiology, Virology, and Parasitology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

Paul Planet

Joe Tandurella (he/him/his)

Cancer Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

John Wherry

Madison Sangster (she/her/hers)

Gene Therapy and Vaccines
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

Daniel Kulp

Morgan Rameau (she/her/hers)

Genetics and Epigenetics
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

Sharlene Day

Guillermo Pereda (he/him/his)

Developmental, Stem Cell, and Regenerative Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

Foteini Mourkioti

Diego Jimenez (he/him/his)

Developmental, Stem Cell, and Regenerative Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

Bushra Raj

Sara Kumar (she/her)

Developmental, Stem Cell, and Regenerative Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

Eugene Khandros

Nivitha Murali (she/her/hers)

Cancer Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

Brian Capell

Dhyanam Shukla (he/him/his)

Developmental, Stem Cell, and Regenerative Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

Eric Liao

Alexis Leach (she/her/hers)

Genetics and Epigenetics
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

Colin Conine

Minh Nguyen (she/her/hers)

Genetics and Epigenetics
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

Michael Gandal

Andoni Nolasco-Ramirez (he/him/his)

Microbiology, Virology, and Parasitology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

Michael Abt

Ian Yannuzzi (they/he)

Cancer Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

Vikram Paralkar

Audrey Griffith (she/her/hers)

Genetics and Epigenetics
Degree: VMD/PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Atharva Dhamale (he/him/his)

Genetics and Epigenetics
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

Yoseph Barash
Ophir Shalem

Ana Cruz (she/her/hers)

Microbiology, Virology, and Parasitology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

Ken Cadwell

Hannah Geller (they/them)

Developmental, Stem Cell, and Regenerative Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

Mary Mullins

Suzana Hossain (she/her/hers)

Microbiology, Virology, and Parasitology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

Sunny Shin

Spencer Jeffrey (he/him/his)

Developmental, Stem Cell, and Regenerative Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

Juan Alvarez

Patricia Guadalupe (she/her/hers)

Cell Biology, Physiology, and Metabolism
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

Paul Titchenell

Tiffany Hua (she/her/hers)

Cell Biology, Physiology, and Metabolism
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

Paul Lieberman

Annastelle Cohen (she/her/hers)

Genetics and Epigenetics
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

Jennifer Phillips-Cremins

Megan Costa (she/her/hers)

Cancer Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

Zev Binder
Donald O'Rourke

Kassidy Cantwell (she/her/hers)

Microbiology, Virology, and Parasitology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

Igor Brodsky

Xiaodi Chen (she/her)

Cancer Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

Yi Fan

Leonardo Claure (he/him/his)

Developmental, Stem Cell, and Regenerative Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

Juan Alvarez

Adel Atari

Cancer Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

Andres Blanco
Roger Greenberg

Stephanie Blackwood (she/her/hers)

Gene Therapy and Vaccines
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

Kiran Musunuru

Noah Beratan (he/him)

Gene Therapy and Vaccines
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

Beatrice Hahn
Katharine Bar

Rebeca Aquino Ventura (she/her/hers)

Gene Therapy and Vaccines
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

Saba Ghassemi

Jessica Barragan (she/her/hers)

Gene Therapy and Vaccines
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

Marco Ruella

Christian Andino (he/him)

Developmental, Stem Cell, and Regenerative Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

Chris Thom

Po Hu (he/him/his)

Genetics and Epigenetics
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

Liming Pei
Kenneth Margulies

Jessica Anderson (she/her/hers)

Genetics and Epigenetics
Degree: MD/PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Rotations:

Colin Conine

Jennifer Hoffmann (she/her)

Gene Therapy and Vaccines
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2020

Advisor(s):

Vijay Bhoj

Rotations:

Kristopher Bosse
Elizabeth Bhoj
Hansell Stedman
Carl June

Erin DeNardo

Microbiology, Virology, and Parasitology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Rotations:

Phillip Scott

Chujie Gong

Developmental, Stem Cell, and Regenerative Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Advisor(s):

Liling Wan

Rotations:

Liling Wan
Warren Pear
Kai Tan

Chaoting Zhou

Genetics and Epigenetics
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2023

Advisor(s):

Ken Caldwell

Vivian Hoang (she/her/hers)

Microbiology, Virology, and Parasitology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Ken Cadwell

Rotations:

Scott Hensley
Laurence Eisenlohr
Matthew Weitzman
Ken Cadwell

viral host immune system evasion, viral entry

Full description

Sonja Zolnoski (she/her/hers)

Microbiology, Virology, and Parasitology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Frederic Bushman

Rotations:

Sara Cherry
Louise Moncla
Frederic Bushman

ebola, filoviridae, filoviruses, rabies, marburg

Full description

Xinye (Ashley) Zhao

Cell Biology, Physiology, and Metabolism
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Yi Fan

Rotations:

Daniel Kelly
Sharlene Day
Yi Fan

molecular mechanisms of energy homeostasis and metabolic reprogramming during disease progression

Full description

Thomas Zhang (he/him/his)

Cancer Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Andy Minn

Rotations:

Katherine Nathanson
Lewis Chodosh
Andy Minn

cancer signaling, functional genomics, computational biology

Full description

Jiazheng (Victor) Xing (he/him/his)

Cell Biology, Physiology, and Metabolism
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Melike Lakadamyali

Rotations:

Michael Marks
Erika Holzbaur
Melike Lakadamyali

trafficking, cytoskeleton, neurodegenerative diseases

Full description

Nicholas (Nick) Williams (he/him/his)

Developmental, Stem Cell, and Regenerative Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Patrick Seale

Rotations:

Patrick Seale
Fanxin Long
Rebecca Simmons

stem cells, tissue regeneration, organoids, hESCs

Full description

Erik Williams (he/him)

Cancer Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Joseph Fraietta

Rotations:

Nicola Mason
Tzipora Sarah Karin Eisinger
Joseph Fraietta

CAR-T Therapy, tumor microenvironment

Full description

Emma Welter (she/her/hers)

Genetics and Epigenetics
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Montserrat Anguera

Rotations:

Craig Bassing
Elizabeth Bhoj
Rebecca Ahrens-Nicklas
Montserrat Anguera

genetics of human disease, genetic basis of neurological disorders, adaptive immunity

Full description

Ashley Weiss (she/her/hers)

Microbiology, Virology, and Parasitology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Joseph Zackular

Rotations:

Joseph Zackular
Will Bailis
Igor Brodsky

human microbiome, host-microbe interactions, disease mechanisms

Full description

Benjamin Wales-McGrath (he/him/his)

Genetics and Epigenetics
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Yoseph Barash
Peter Choi

Rotations:

Yoseph Barash
Peter Choi
Brian Gregory

gene regulation, RNA biology, systems biology, computational biology

Full description

Molly Weiner (she/her)

Developmental, Stem Cell, and Regenerative Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Christoph Thaiss

Rotations:

Robert Heuckeroth
De'Broski Herbert
Christoph Thaiss

neuro-immune and neuro-microbial interactions

Full description

Amanda Watkins (she/her/hers)

Cell Biology, Physiology, and Metabolism
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Hyun (Michel) Koo

Rotations:

Robert Mauck
Hyun (Michael) Koo

peri-prosthetic implant infection, bone infection, equine surgery, osteoarthritis

Full description

Kayleigh Voos

Cell Biology, Physiology, and Metabolism
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Project Title: Elucidating cytoskeletal contributions to mitochondrial dynamics and bioenergetics in skeletal muscle

Advisor(s):

Damaris Lorenzo

Andrea Valdespino (she/her)

Cancer Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Maureen Murphy

Rotations:

Elizabeth White
Maureen Murphy
Lewis Chodosh

TNBC, metastasis, unfolded protein response, host-virus interactions

Full description

Katelyn (Katie) Toohill (she/her)

Developmental, Stem Cell, and Regenerative Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Andrew Modzelewski

Rotations:

Thomas Leung
Bushra Raj
Andrew Modzelewski

regeneration, wound healing, genetic regulation of diseased states

Full description

Melody Tan (she/her)

Gene Therapy and Vaccines
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

John Wherry

Rotations:

Marco Ruella
Gerd Blobel
John Wherry

Modulating the adaptive immune response to cancer;
cell therapy engineering and genetic manipulation techniques

Full description

Kayla Snare (she/her)

Cancer Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Guilherme Nader

Rotations:

Gregory Beatty
Rami Amaravadi
Ben Stanger
Guilherme Nader

tumor microenvironment, immune system, and metabolic reprogramming

Full description

Sidney Smith (she/her/hers)

Cell Biology, Physiology, and Metabolism
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Stefano Rivella

Rotations:

Benjamin Prosser
Stefano Rivella
Rebecca Ahrens-Nicklas

microscopy, cell-based therapies, gene therapy, physiology

Full description

Anastasia Slavutsky

Cell Biology, Physiology, and Metabolism
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Project Title: Elucidating the role of βII-spectrin in the pathogenicity of the neurodevelopmental SPTBN1 syndrome

Advisor(s):

Damaris Lorenzo

Rachel Sklutuis

Microbiology, Virology, and Parasitology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Tempera Italo

Rotations:

Paul Bates
Sara Cherry
Tempera Italo

virology, molecular biology, assay development

Full description

Joanatta Shapiro

Genetics and Epigenetics
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Eric Joyce

Rotations:

Montserrat Anguera
Elizabeth Bhoj
Eric Joyce

models of human disease, gene regulation, gene therapies, development

Full description

Sena Sarıkaya (she/her/hers)

Developmental, Stem Cell, and Regenerative Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Kenneth Zaret
Mustafa Mir

Rotations:

Mustafa Mir
Mark Kahn
Kenneth Zaret

embryology; developmental biology; cell biology; biophysics; microscopy; maternal-fetal-interactions; morphogenesis

Full description

Eleanor Sams (she/her/hers)

Genetics and Epigenetics
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Vikram Paralkar

Rotations:

Kathrin Bernt
Vikram Paralkar
Crystal Conn

molecular genetic and epigenetic mechanisms involved in pediatric cancer or other pediatric diseases

Full description

Arushi Sahay (she/hers)

Genetics and Epigenetics
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Liling Wan

Rotations:

Brian Capell
Liling Wan
Peter Choi

integrating genetics, cancer biology, and immunology to study disease mechanisms and progression

Full description

Shira Rosenberg (she/her/hers)

Cancer Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Alexander Huang

Rotations:

Arjun Raj
Kara Maxwell
Alexander Huang

hematopoietic disorders, multi-omics, cancer therapeutics, tumor development

Full description

Rachel Richards (she/her/hers)

Microbiology, Virology, and Parasitology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Sunny Shin

Rotations:

Mechthild Pohlschroder
Paul Planet
Cornelius Taabazuing

innate Immunity, host-pathogen interactions, inequity in STEM

Full description

James Regan (he/him)

Microbiology, Virology, and Parasitology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Jianxin You

Rotations:

Una O'Doherty
Michael Betts
Jianxin You

Host-pathogen interaction during HIV infection; adaptive immune response to viral infection

Full description

Jennifer Paulino

Microbiology, Virology, and Parasitology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Scott Hensley

Rotations:

Igor Brodsky
Daniel Beiting
Scott Hensley

host-pathogen interaction, human gut microbiome, antibiotic resistant, autoimmune disease.

Full description

Kisha Patel (she/her/hers)

Cancer Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Carl June

Rotations:

Vijay Bhoj
Carl June
John Wherry
Christina Jackson

neurosurgery, brain-based cancers, immunotherapy, immunometabolism

Full description

Sonresa Ochoa-Vidales (she/her/ella)

Microbiology, Virology, and Parasitology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Scott Gordon

Rotations:

Audrey John
Scott Gordon
Montserrat Anguera

viral pathogenesis, molecular and structural virology, and host-virus dynamics

Full description

Elizabeth (Libby) Nunn (she/her)

Cell Biology, Physiology, and Metabolism
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Paul Titchenell

Rotations:

David Merrick
Will Bailis
Paul Titchenell

role of cellular metabolism in cell fate decisions, epigenetics, and disease

Full description

Svathi Murali (she/hers)

Genetics and Epigenetics
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Alessandra Chesi

Rotations:

Erica Korb
Lan Lin
Alessandra Chesi

neurological disorders, neuroepigenetics, translational research

Full description

Kathlyene (Katey) Stone (she/her)

Cell Biology, Physiology, and Metabolism
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Benjamin Prosser

Rotations:

Melike Lakadamyali
Benjamin Prosser
Sandra Maday

translational regulation mechanisms in cardiomyocytes

Full description

Ashley Melendez-Perez (she/hers)

Genetics and Epigenetics
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Elizabeth Bhoj

Rotations:

Elizabeth Bhoj
Ana Cristancho

3D genome organization, molecular genetics, epigenetics

Full description

Jayne McDevitt (she/her/hers)

Cancer Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Ben Stanger

Rotations:

Ronny Drapkin
Gregory Beatty
Ben Stanger

development of cancer drugs and therapies, focusing on metabolic dysregulation and/or immunology

Full description

Kirsten Mallon (she/her/hers)

Microbiology, Virology, and Parasitology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Michael Povelones

Rotations:

Katharine Bar
Una O'Doherty
Michael Povelones

host-pathogen response, virology, immunology, public health

Full description

Lauren Elizabeth Lee (she/her/hers)

Cell Biology, Physiology, and Metabolism
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Zoltan Arany

Rotations:

Katalin Susztak
Liming Pei
Zoltan Arany

renal physiology, metabolic determinants of disease, metabolic signaling, cellular/organelle substrate use and preference

Full description

Beoung Hun (Beoung) Lee (he/his)

Genetics and Epigenetics
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Kai Wang

Rotations:

Hongjun Song
Jennifer Phillips-Cremins
Kai Wang

epigenetics, computational biology, bioinformatics, chromatin interactions, DNA methylation

Full description

Kelsey Leach (she/her/hers)

Genetics and Epigenetics
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Alessandro Gardini

Rotations:

Jennifer Phillips-Cremins
Alessandro Gardini
Pablo Camara

human disease epigenetics

Full description

Tran Ngoc Van (Van) Le (she/her/hers)

Cell Biology, Physiology, and Metabolism
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Will Bailis

Rotations:

Chengcheng Jin
Celeste Simon
Will Bailis

cancer metabolism, cancer immunotherapy

Full description

Po-Lun (Po) Kung (he/him/his)

Developmental, Stem Cell, and Regenerative Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Chris Thom

Rotations:

Jarod Zepp
Andrew Vaughan
Chris Thom

regulatory mechanisms affecting tissue regeneration and/or stem cell fates

Full description

Morgan Kuczler (she/her)

Cancer Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Lewis Chodosh

Rotations:

Ronny Drapkin
Lewis Chodosh
Celeste Simon

therapeutic resistance, cell stress response/adaptation, and/or cancer cell progression

Full description

Elena Kahn (she/her)

Gene Therapy and Vaccines
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Kiran Musunuru

Rotations:

Henry Daniell
Kiran Musunuru
Christopher Ellebrecht

mechanisms of immunity and autoimmunity, gene therapy, plant/marine biomedicine

Full description

Alexis Jean Morales (he/him/his)

Cancer Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Irfan Asangani

Rotations:

Liling Wan
Irfan Asangani
Lewis Chodosh

immunotherapy, targeted therapy, resistance mechanisms

Full description

Teshawn Johnson

Developmental, Stem Cell, and Regenerative Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Judith Grinspan
Kelly Jordan-Sciutto

Rotations:

Kimberly Christian
Jennifer Orthmann Murphy
Judith Grinspan

developmental neuroscience, adult neurogenesis, neuroprotective strategies/neuroregeneration, neurodegeneration

Full description

Marisol Hooks (she/her/hers)

Genetics and Epigenetics
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Elizabeth Heller

Rotations:

Elizabeth Heller
Kavitha Sarma
Elizabeth Bhoj

neuroepigenetics, neurological disorders, translational medicine, health disparities, toxicology, environmental medicine

Full description

Olivia Hix (she/her)

Developmental, Stem Cell, and Regenerative Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Kathryn Hamilton

Rotations:

David Feldser
Kathryn Hamilton
Andrew Vaughan

the intersection of developmental biology and disease/cancer biology

Full description

Jill Henrich (she/her)

Cancer Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Vikram Paralkar

Rotations:

Liling Wan
Vikram Paralkar
Gerd Blobel

cancer epigenetics, tumor immunology/immunotherapies, translational therapeutics, malignant transformation

Full description

Natalie Hagen (she/her/hers)

Microbiology, Virology, and Parasitology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Frederic Bushman

Rotations:

Frederic Bushman
Scott Hensley
Louise Moncla

host-microbiota interactions, microbiome, metabolism, virology, infectious disease

Full description

Kim Ha (she/her)

Genetics and Epigenetics
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Chris Thom

Rotations:

Chris Thom
Maja Bucan
Matthew Kayser
Rachel Kember

sequencing technologies, bioinformatic/statistical approaches, metabolic and respiratory diseases, mendelian disorders

Full description

Sarah Grandinette (she/her)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Kiran Musunuru

Rotations:

Kiran Musunuru
William Peranteau
Rebecca Ahrens-Nicklas

gene editing and gene therapies to treat disease

Full description

Reyna Garcia Sillas (she/her/hers)

Microbiology, Virology, and Parasitology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Igor Brodsky

Rotations:

Cornelius Taabazuing
Igor Brodsky
Kellie Jurado

host-pathogen interaction, microbiology. innate immune response

Full description

Angela Gaesser (she/her/hers)

Developmental, Stem Cell, and Regenerative Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Kyla Ortved

Rotations:

Ling Qin
Kyla Ortved

mesenchymal stem cells, extracellular vesicles, osteoarthritis, joint, cartilage

Full description

Jiayi Duan (she/her)

Microbiology, Virology, and Parasitology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Frederic Bushman

Rotations:

Michael Betts
Luis Montaner
Frederic Bushman

viral pathogenesis, HIV persistence, adaptive immune responses, infectious diseases

Full description

Joan Donahue (she/her)

Developmental, Stem Cell, and Regenerative Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Yana Kamberov

Rotations:

Foteini Mourkioti
Yana Kamberov
Bushra Raj

regeneration, skeletal development, limb development, cell signaling

Full description

John Doherty (he/him/his)

Genetics and Epigenetics
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Roberto Bonasio

Rotations:

Colin Conine
Roberto Bonasio
Ophir Shalem

RNA mediated epigenetic gene regulation and inheritance

Full description

Nicole DeBruyne (she/her)

Genetics and Epigenetics
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Lan Lin

Rotations:

Kara Maxwell
Struan Grant
Lan Lin

Utilizing next-generation sequencing technologies to study and identify variants associated with genetic human diseases

Full description

Mara Davis (she/her)

Gene Therapy and Vaccines
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Saar Gill
Frederick Christian Bennett

Rotations:

Naiara Aquizu Lopez
Frederick Christian Bennett
Saar Gill

neurodegenerative disease, AAV therapy, trinucleotide repeat disorders

Full description

Emily Daley (she/her/hers)

Gene Therapy and Vaccines
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Norbert Pardi

Rotations:

Hamideh Parhiz
Norbert Pardi
Daniel Powell

mRNA-LNP vaccines for infectious disease

Full description

Diana Cruz (she/her)

Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Guilherme Nader
Aime Franco

Rotations:

Xianxin Hua
Aime Franco
Guilherme Nader

cold tumors, microenvironment, immunotherapy, inflammatory response

Full description

Taylor Crawford (she/her)

Cancer Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Kara Maxwell

Rotations:

Kara Maxwell
Kathrin Bernt
Robert Bowman

cancer epigenetics, health disparities in breast cancer and prostate cancer, tumor metastasis

Full description

Diana Renteria

Degree: MD/PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Denise Sabatino

Rotations:

Eileen Shore
Denise Sabatino

Daana Roach (she/her/hers)

Developmental, Stem Cell, and Regenerative Biology
Degree: VMD/PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Kathryn Hamilton

Rotations:

Christopher Lengner
Kathryn Hamilton

Casey Mogilevsky

Degree: MD/PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Rotations:

Rahul Kohli
Kiran Musunuru

Joseph McGaunn

Degree: MD/PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Rotations:

Joe Baur

Pedro Mendez Fernandez

Genetics and Epigenetics
Degree: MD/PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Rotations:

Rajan Jain

Sarah Finstuen-Magro

Degree: MD/PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Rotations:

Ben Stanger

Walla (Miguel) Disbennett

Degree: MD/PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Rotations:

Michaela Locci
Jonathan Miner

Islam Elsaid

Degree: MD/PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Rotations:

Sydney Shaffer
Donita Brady

Breezy Brock

Microbiology, Virology, and Parasitology
Degree: VMD/PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Rotations:

Nicola Mason

Natalie Brown

Degree: MD/PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Rotations:

Zoltan Arany

Margaret (Maggie) Cassidy

Genetics and Epigenetics
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Rebecca Ahrens-Nicklas
Ana Cristancho

Rotations:

Bushra Raj
Ana Cristancho
Rebecca Ahrens-Nicklas

molecular genetic mechanisms related to neurodevelopmental disorders

Full description

Ariana Campbell (she/her/hers)

Microbiology, Virology, and Parasitology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Kellie Jurado

Rotations:

Michal Elovitz
Kellie Jurado
Scott Gordon

infectious diseases at the maternal-fetal interface and changes in the immune system during pregnancy

Full description

Vasia Barka

Degree: MD/PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Rotations:

Sharlene Day
Marie Guerraty

Devin Burris (she/her)

Gene Therapy and Vaccines
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Rebecca Ahrens-Nicklas

Rotations:

Rebecca Ahrens-Nicklas
Katherine Uyhazi
Beverly Davidson

gene therapy, ASOs, iPSCs for neuromuscular, optical, epileptic, and other neurologic diseases

Full description

Isabel Breuer (she/her)

Genetics and Epigenetics
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Kristen Lynch

Rotations:

Kristen Lynch
Colin Conine
Sarah Henrickson

Gene regulation, specifically RNA, effects in development and/or genetic diseases

Full description

Theresa Astmann

Microbiology, Virology, and Parasitology
Degree: VMD/PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Rotations:

Daniel Beiting

Daniel Boehmler (he/him)

Cancer Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Terrance Gade
Aalim Weljie

Rotations:

Zoltan Arany
Terrance Gade
Aalim Weljie

cancer cell metabolism/metabolomics, lipidomics, and host/gut microbiome interaction

Full description

Audrey Bochi-Layec (she/her)

Gene Therapy and Vaccines
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Marco Ruella

Rotations:

Marco Ruella
Michael Milone
Carl June

cancer immunotherapy, CARs, neoantigens

Full description

Louisa Boateng (she/her)

Genetics and Epigenetics
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Rotations:

Eric Joyce
Brian Capell
Alessandra Chesi

epigenetics, translational medicine, environmental-gene interactions, cancer biology, reproduction and development, and toxicology

Full description

Jackson Bauer (he/him)

Gene Therapy and Vaccines
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

William Peranteau

Rotations:

Lindsey George
James Riley
William Peranteau

cell and gene therapy, gene editing

Full description

Hyun Hyung (Claire) An (she/her)

Developmental, Stem Cell, and Regenerative Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Nancy Speck
Andrew Modzelewski

Rotations:

Paul Gadue
Nancy Speck
Andrew Modzelewski

stem cells, hematopoiesis, erythropoiesis

Full description

Jasmine Akoto (she/her/hers)

Genetics and Epigenetics
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Naiara Aquizu Lopez

Rotations:

Naiara Aquizu Lopez
Erica Korb
Kahlilia Blanco

Genetics/Genomics, Molecular Biology, Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Psychiatric Disorders

Full description

Eva Agostino (she/her/hers)

Microbiology, Virology, and Parasitology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Joseph St Geme

Rotations:

Joseph St Geme
Matthew Weitzman
Ken Cadwell

microbial pathogenesis, virology, bacteriology, host-pathogen interactions, infectious disease

Full description

Jordan Ort (he/him)

Microbiology, Virology, and Parasitology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Scott Hensley
Louise Moncla

Rotations:

George Shaw
Elizabeth Grice
Louise Moncla

viral immune evasion to host antibody responses or impact of microbiome on human disease

Full description

Meryl Mendoza (she/her)

Developmental, Stem Cell, and Regenerative Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Andrew Vaughan

Rotations:

Andrew Vaughan
Yana Kamberov
Riccardo Gottardi

Regenerative medicine and stem cell regulation

Full description

Diego Mendez (he/him)

Developmental, Stem Cell, and Regenerative Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Kenneth Zaret

Rotations:

Alex Hughes
Rajan Jain
Kenneth Zaret

Understanding the genetic/epigenetic programs underlying normal cell and disease development to develop novel therapies

Full description

Morgan McGrath (she/her)

Cancer Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Crystal Conn

Rotations:

Tzipora Sarah Karin Eisinger
Crystal Conn
Mark Kahn

cellular plasticity in cancer, metastatic transformation

Full description

Taku Harada (he/him/his)

Cancer Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Roger Greenberg

Rotations:

Lewis Chodosh
Roger Greenberg
Kathryn Wellen

cancer genomics, transcriptional biology, cancer immunology

Full description

Jacob Cote (he/him)

Microbiology, Virology, and Parasitology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2022

Advisor(s):

Mechthild Pohlschroder

Rotations:

Ileana Perez-Rodriguez
Jun Zhu
Mechthild Pohlschroder

bacterial physiology, bacterial metabolism, bioinformatics

Full description

Maxime Zamba-Campero (she/her)

Microbiology, Virology, and Parasitology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Project Title: Elucidating the role of histidine in Salmonella pathogenicity

Advisor(s):

Igor Brodsky

Rotations:

Joseph Zackular
Igor Brodsky
Audrey John

Thomas "Ted" Williamson (he/him)

Developmental, Stem Cell, and Regenerative Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Project Title: Targeting pathogenic fibroblasts in the heart with engineered regulatory T cells

Advisor(s):

Jonathan Epstein

Rotations:

Nancy Speck
Jonathan Epstein
Paul Gadue

Jane Xie (she/her)

Cancer Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Project Title: Investigating the Impact of Tissue-of-Origin on Tumor Cell-Intrinsic Regulation of Immune Infiltration

Advisor(s):

Ben Stanger

Rotations:

Thomas DeRaedt
Gregory Beatty
Roderick O'Connor
Ben Stanger

Linlin Yang (she/her)

Microbiology, Virology, and Parasitology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Project Title: To identify host factors that mediate the neurotropism of peptide-modified AAVs targeting human brain.

Advisor(s):

Beverly Davidson

Rotations:

John Wherry
George Shaw
Beverly Davidson

Reiko Tomizawa (she/her)

Developmental, Stem Cell, and Regenerative Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Advisor(s):

Yana Kamberov

Rotations:

Yana Kamberov
Mary Mullins
Bushra Raj

Valeria Vigo (she/her)

Microbiology, Virology, and Parasitology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Project Title: Evaluating Haemophilus influenzae adhesin (Hia) as a potential vaccine antigen against Non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae nasopharyngeal colonization.

Advisor(s):

Joseph St Geme

Rotations:

Igor Brodsky
Joseph St Geme
De'Broski Herbert

Erin Smith (she/her)

Cell Biology, Physiology, and Metabolism
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Project Title: Defining Lysosomal Degradation Within and Between Neurons and Astrocytes in Response to Proteotoxic Stress

Advisor(s):

Sandra Maday

Rotations:

Erika Holzbaur
Anna Kashina
Sandra Maday

Helen Stillwell

Microbiology, Virology, and Parasitology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Advisor(s):

Susan Weiss

Rotations:

Susan Weiss
Norbert Pardi
Michaela Locci
Frederic Bushman

Lauren Testa (she/her)

Gene Therapy and Vaccines
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Project Title: Genome editing for hereditary connective tissue disorders

Advisor(s):

Kiran Musunuru

Rotations:

Elizabeth Bhoj
Kiran Musunuru
Benjamin Prosser

Taylor Senay (she/her)

Microbiology, Virology, and Parasitology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Project Title: Determining the Mechanisms of MCPyV Host Immune Modulation

Advisor(s):

Jianxin You

Rotations:

Joseph St Geme
Jianxin You
Elizabeth Grice

Jaydeen Sewell (she/her)

Microbiology, Virology, and Parasitology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Project Title: Dissecting the interaction between Coxiella burnetii effector protein CBU1314 and the human Polymerase Associated Factor 1 Complex

Advisor(s):

Sunny Shin

Rotations:

Sunny Shin
Elizabeth White
Igor Brodsky

Alexandra Schneider (she/her)

Genetics and Epigenetics
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Advisor(s):

Colin Conine

Rotations:

Colin Conine
Roberto Bonasio
Montserrat Anguera

Alexis Scott (she/her)

Cancer Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Advisor(s):

Malay Haldar

Rotations:

Todd Ridky
Chengcheng Jin
Malay Haldar
Leyuan Ma

Kelsey Salcido (she/her)

Cancer Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Project Title: Metabolic effect of alcohol consumption on cancer

Advisor(s):

Zachary Schug

Rotations:

Zachary Schug
Zoltan Arany
Kara Maxwell
Celeste Simon

Bakary Samasa (he/him)

Developmental, Stem Cell, and Regenerative Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Advisor(s):

Mary Mullins

Rotations:

Mary Mullins
Michael Granato
Panteleimon Rompolas
Stephen Dinardo

Annabel Sangree (she/her)

Gene Therapy and Vaccines
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Project Title: Investigating aberrant splicing as a pathogenic mechanism in Bryant-Li-Bhoj syndrome.

Advisor(s):

Elizabeth Bhoj

Rotations:

Laura Su
Elizabeth Bhoj
Kiran Musunuru

Geoffrey Rouin (he/him)

Cancer Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Project Title: Defining Epigenetic Mechanisms of Human CAR T Cell Exhaustion and Reversal

Advisor(s):

Evan Weber

Rotations:

Patrick Grohar
Kristopher Bosse
Ellen Puré
Evan Weber

Melissa Rowe (she/her)

Cancer Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Project Title: Identifying the role of telomere length in hepatic oncogenesis

Advisor(s):

Klaus Kaestner

Rotations:

Chengcheng Jin
Klaus Kaestner
Aime Franco

Abigail Ridler (she/her)

Developmental, Stem Cell, and Regenerative Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Project Title: Investigating molecular mechanisms of GATA6 and retinoic acid signaling synergy in human pancreas progenitor specification and their role in endocrine development

Advisor(s):

Paul Gadue

Rotations:

Benjamin Prosser
Foteini Mourkioti
Paul Gadue

Kiara Rodríguez-Acevedo (she/her)

Genetics and Epigenetics
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Project Title: Investigating Parity-Induced Protection against Breast Cancer In Response to Oncogenic Stimuli

Advisor(s):

Elizabeth Heller

Rotations:

Montserrat Anguera
Elizabeth Heller
Erica Korb

Emmanuel Rapp Reyes (he/him)

Developmental, Stem Cell, and Regenerative Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Advisor(s):

Thomas Leung

Rotations:

Thomas Leung
Jonathan Epstein
Nicholas Plachta
Juan Alvarez

I am interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms that determine cell fate.

Full description

Lauren Reich (she/they)

Genetics and Epigenetics
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Project Title: Investigating the relationship between RNA modifications and chromatin accessibility

Advisor(s):

Roberto Bonasio

Rotations:

Erica Korb
Kathryn Wellen
Roberto Bonasio

Ashvathi Raghavakaimal (she/her)

Cancer Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Project Title: Investigating Parity-Induced Protection against Breast Cancer In Response to Oncogenic Stimuli

Advisor(s):

Lewis Chodosh

Rotations:

Kara Maxwell
Lewis Chodosh
Crystal Conn

Aidan Quigley (he/him)

Gene Therapy and Vaccines
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Project Title: Development of Virus-Like Particles (VLPs) for the engineering of immunotherapeutics

Advisor(s):

Kiran Musunuru
Kristopher Bosse

Rotations:

Daniel Powell
Kiran Musunuru
Kristopher Bosse

Tania Perez (she/her)

Genetics and Epigenetics
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Project Title: Investigating the role of Disrupted in Schizophrenia 1 (DISC1) in mitochondrial trafficking

Advisor(s):

Erika Holzbaur

Rotations:

Erika Holzbaur
Erica Korb
Naiara Aquizu Lopez

Kayla Purdy (she/her)

Developmental, Stem Cell, and Regenerative Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Project Title: Foxo coordinates axon regeneration and clearance via microtubule dynamics

Advisor(s):

Yuanquan Song

Rotations:

Panteleimon Rompolas
D. Kacy Cullen
Kelly Jordan-Sciutto
Yuanquan Song

Renyta Moses (she/her)

Cancer Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Project Title: Germline p53 R181 mutants and DNA binding cooperativity in tumorigenesis

Advisor(s):

Kara Maxwell
Maureen Murphy

Rotations:

Rugang Zhang
Lewis Chodosh
Kara Maxwell

Emily O'Rourke (she/her)

Microbiology, Virology, and Parasitology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Project Title: Investigating inflammasome responses to Salmonella in human macrophages

Advisor(s):

Sunny Shin

Rotations:

Sunny Shin
Audrey John
Joseph St Geme

Ting-Chun "Jamie" Pan (she/her)

Microbiology, Virology, and Parasitology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Advisor(s):

Elizabeth Grice

Rotations:

Elizabeth Grice
Joseph Zackular
Maayan Levy

Taylor Miller-Ensminger (she/her)

Microbiology, Virology, and Parasitology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Project Title: The Impact of Viral Infection on Intergenerational Non-genetic Inheritance

Advisor(s):

Kellie Jurado

Rotations:

Katharine Bar
Scott Hensley
Kellie Jurado

Natalie Moore (she/her)

Cell Biology, Physiology, and Metabolism
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Advisor(s):

David Merrick

Rotations:

Zoltan Arany
Paul Titchenell
David Merrick

Rushabh Mehta (he/him)

Genetics and Epigenetics
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Project Title: Determining the epigenetic mechanisms underlying minimal residual disease in B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Advisor(s):

Kai Tan

Rotations:

Kai Tan
Rajan Jain
Pablo Cámara

Loreilys Mejias Rivera

Genetics and Epigenetics
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Project Title: Uncovering how muscle-resident mesenchymal progenitors undergo aberrant chondro-osteogenic differentiation in Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva

Advisor(s):

Eileen Shore

Rotations:

Brian Capell
Naiara Aquizu Lopez
Eileen Shore

Allison Marvin (she/her)

Cell Biology, Physiology, and Metabolism
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Project Title: Maternal Regulation of Microtubule Organizing Centers in the Egg and Oocyte

Advisor(s):

Mary Mullins

Rotations:

Mary Mullins
Nancy Speck
Greg Bashaw

Christopher McAllister (he/him)

Developmental, Stem Cell, and Regenerative Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Advisor(s):

Sharlene Day

Rotations:

Arndt Siekmann
Foteini Mourkioti
Sharlene Day

Josue Medor (he/him)

Cancer Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Project Title: Uncovering the Role and Regulation of CLK2 Isoforms in Cancer

Advisor(s):

Peter Choi

Rotations:

Warren Pear
Maureen Murphy
Peter Choi

Claire Makowski (she/her)

Genetics and Epigenetics
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Advisor(s):

Kenneth Zaret

Rotations:

Kenneth Zaret
Doris Wagner
Colin Conine

Kaeri Martinez Medina (she/her)

Microbiology, Virology, and Parasitology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Project Title: Defining Host Factors that Facilitate Bunyavirus mRNA Translation.

Advisor(s):

Sara Cherry

Rotations:

Susan Weiss
Sara Cherry
Paul Planet

Michael Kuckyr (he/him)

Gene Therapy and Vaccines
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Advisor(s):

Beverly Davidson

Rotations:

Kiran Musunuru
Beverly Davidson
Defne Amado

Mingjia Li (she/her)

Genetics and Epigenetics
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Advisor(s):

Zhaolan Zhou

Rotations:

Hao Wu
Beverly Davidson
Kai Wang

Nora Kiledjian (she/her)

Genetics and Epigenetics
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Project Title: Identifying the Effects of m6A on mRNAs During Adaptive Stress

Advisor(s):

Crystal Conn

Rotations:

Crystal Conn
Kristen Lynch
Kathryn Hamilton

Austin King (he/him)

Genetics and Epigenetics
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Project Title: Elucidating the Oncogenic Machinery that drives NPM1c-associated AML and Identification of NPM1c-specific Epigenetic Vulnerabilities.

Advisor(s):

Andres Blanco

Rotations:

Matthew Kayser
Andres Blanco
Peter Choi

Elizabeth Kraeutler (she/her)

Genetics and Epigenetics
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Advisor(s):

Eric Joyce

Rotations:

Eric Joyce
Kenneth Zaret
Rajan Jain

Kay Katada (she/her)

Cell Biology, Physiology, and Metabolism
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Advisor(s):

Kathryn Hamilton

Rotations:

Paul Titchenell
Kathryn Hamilton
De'Broski Herbert

Diljeet Kaur (she/her)

Genetics and Epigenetics
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Advisor(s):

Wanding Zhou
Ziyue Gao

Rotations:

Ziyue Gao
Robert Faryabi
Wanding Zhou

Aude Ikuzwe Sindikubwabo (she/her)

Genetics and Epigenetics
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Advisor(s):

Marylyn Ritchie

Rotations:

Sarah Tishkoff
Alessandra Chesi
Marylyn Ritchie

Identifying and validating loci associated with diseases under-represented in genomic research

Full description

Katharine Hewlett (she/her)

Microbiology, Virology, and Parasitology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Advisor(s):

Joseph Zackular

Rotations:

Katharine Bar
Joseph Zackular
Audrey John

Michael Hogarty (he/him)

Microbiology, Virology, and Parasitology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Project Title: HIV-1 Vaccine Design to Elicit Broadly Neutralizing Antibodies Targeting the V3-Glycan Coreceptor Binding Site

Advisor(s):

George Shaw

Rotations:

George Shaw
Sara Cherry
Audrey John

Nicolas Holcomb (he/him)

Developmental, Stem Cell, and Regenerative Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Project Title: Identifying the Migratory and pro-Fibrotic Mechanisms of Influenza Induced Ectopic Krt5+ Cells in the Distal Lung

Advisor(s):

Andrew Vaughan

Rotations:

Andrew Vaughan
Riccardo Gottardi
Thomas Leung

Gabriela Hayward-Lara (she/her)

Developmental, Stem Cell, and Regenerative Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Project Title: Investigating the role of Polycomb bodies in maintaining a repressed chromatin state during Drosophila development

Advisor(s):

Mustafa Mir

Rotations:

Mustafa Mir
Alex Hughes
Melike Lakadamyali

Megan Guerin

Developmental, Stem Cell, and Regenerative Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Advisor(s):

Mary Mullins

Rotations:

Mary Mullins
Marisa Bartolomei
Colin Conine

Segovia Garcia (she/her)

Developmental, Stem Cell, and Regenerative Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Project Title: Discovering Regulators of Polycomb Domain Establishment

Advisor(s):

Roberto Bonasio

Rotations:

Roberto Bonasio
Robert Mauck
Erica Korb

Maya Foster (she/her)

Cancer Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Project Title: Elucidating the mechanism of action of a novel p53 reactivating molecule

Advisor(s):

Maureen Murphy

Rotations:

Kathryn Wellen
Maureen Murphy
Crystal Conn

Olivia Fish (she/her)

Genetics and Epigenetics
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Project Title: Uncovering the role of mts and sqz in Frazzled-dependent axon guidance

Advisor(s):

Greg Bashaw

Rotations:

Thomas Jongens
Greg Bashaw
Bushra Raj

Carmen Flesher (she/her)

Cell Biology, Physiology, and Metabolism
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Project Title: Understanding adipocyte progenitor cell–macrophage crosstalk and adipose tissue dynamics in obesity pathogenesis

Advisor(s):

David Merrick

Rotations:

Patrick Seale
David Merrick
Rebecca Wells

Samantha Fallacaro (she/her)

Developmental, Stem Cell, and Regenerative Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Project Title: Quantifying how transcription factor hubs drive gene occupancy during development

Advisor(s):

Mustafa Mir

Rotations:

Mustafa Mir
Stephen Dinardo
Bushra Raj

Mark Dittmar (he/him)

Microbiology, Virology, and Parasitology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Advisor(s):

Sara Cherry

Rotations:

Audrey John
Sara Cherry
Sarah Henrickson

Rachel Erickson (she/her)

Microbiology, Virology, and Parasitology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Project Title: Optimizing a VSV-Vectored Vaccine for Machupo Virus

Advisor(s):

Paul Bates

Rotations:

Scott Hensley
Paul Bates
Laurence Eisenlohr

Saúl Cortez-Alvarado (he/him)

Gene Therapy and Vaccines
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Advisor(s):

Rebecca Ahrens-Nicklas

Rotations:

Kiran Musunuru
Hansell Stedman
Rebecca Ahrens-Nicklas

Abigail Daniels (she/her)

Microbiology, Virology, and Parasitology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Project Title: Investigating the molecular mechanisms of gamete interaction in Cryptosporidium

Advisor(s):

Boris Striepen

Rotations:

Michael Povelones
Audrey John
Boris Striepen

Angela Corrigan (she/her)

Microbiology, Virology, and Parasitology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Advisor(s):

Mohamed Abdel-Mohsen

Rotations:

Scott Hensley
Mohamed Abdel-Mohsen
John Wherry

Nicholas Cerda (he/him)

Gene Therapy and Vaccines
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Project Title: Evaluating the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of a mucosal mRNA vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus

Advisor(s):

Drew Weissman
Hamideh Parhiz

Rotations:

Drew Weissman
Daniel Kulp
Hamideh Parhiz

Publications: ORCiD

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Kelly Clark (she/her)

Genetics and Epigenetics
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Project Title: Mechanism of chromatin and proliferation dysregulation in Bryant-Li-Bhoj Syndrome

Advisor(s):

Elizabeth Bhoj

Rotations:

Elizabeth Bhoj
Eric Joyce
Colin Conine

Dominique Brooks (she/her)

Gene Therapy and Vaccines
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Project Title: Therapeutic base editing and prime editing for phenylketonuria

Advisor(s):

Kiran Musunuru

Rotations:

Paul Gadue
Kiran Musunuru
Rajan Jain

Morgan Brown (she/her)

Cancer Biology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Project Title: Investigating the role of BCAA metabolism in HCC and anti-tumor immunity

Advisor(s):

Celeste Simon
Will Bailis

Rotations:

Vikram Paralkar
Celeste Simon
Will Bailis

Emily Aunins (she/her)

Microbiology, Virology, and Parasitology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Project Title: Opposing roles for IL-12 and Interferon-gamma in regulating CD8+ T cell responses to mRNA vaccination”

Advisor(s):

Christopher Hunter

Rotations:

Igor Brodsky
Michael Abt
Christopher Hunter

Dale L. Brokaw

Genetics and Epigenetics
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Advisor(s):

Sydney Shaffer

Rotations:

Hao Wu
Sydney Shaffer
Elizabeth Heller

Miosotis Alicea-Delgado (she/her)

Cell Biology, Physiology, and Metabolism
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Advisor(s):

Xilma Ortiz-Gonzalez

Rotations:

Joe Baur
Xilma Ortiz-Gonzalez
Michael Marks

Jose Arias-Umana (he/him)

Gene Therapy and Vaccines
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Advisor(s):

Evan Weber

Rotations:

Denise Sabatino
Laura Su
Evan Weber

Reyes Acosta (he/him)

Microbiology, Virology, and Parasitology
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Advisor(s):

Daniel Claiborne

Rotations:

Joseph Fraietta
Daniel Claiborne
Scott Gordon

Lucas Van Gorder

Gene Therapy and Vaccines
Degree: PhD
Matriculation Year: 2016

Project Title: Improving Gene Therapy for Hemophilia A Through Rational Design of FVIII

Advisor(s):

Valder Arruda
Benjamin Samelson-Jones

Rotations:

Jean Bennett
Kar Muthumani
Valder Arruda

Katherine Xia

Cell Biology, Physiology, and Metabolism
Degree: MD/PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Advisor(s):

Edward Lee

Rotations:

Edward Lee
Bradley Johnson
Erika Holzbaur

Jack You

Developmental, Stem Cell, and Regenerative Biology
Degree: MD/PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Advisor(s):

George Cotsarelis

Rotations:

Panteleimon Rompolas
Thomas Leung

Erica Nguyen

Developmental, Stem Cell, and Regenerative Biology
Degree: MD/PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Rotations:

William Peranteau
Michal Elovitz
Mark Kahn

Pavithran Ravindran

Cancer Biology
Degree: MD/PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Rotations:

Arjun Raj
Andy Minn

Orlando Arevalo (he/him)

Gene Therapy and Vaccines
Degree: MD/PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Rotations:

Marco Ruella
Ma Leyuan

Sanam Kavari

Genetics and Epigenetics
Degree: MD/PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Rotations:

Jennifer Kalish
Marisa Bartolomei
Zoltan Arany

Alexandria Adigun

Developmental, Stem Cell, and Regenerative Biology
Degree: MD/PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Rotations:

Matthew Kayser
Mary Mullins

Alexander Post

Developmental, Stem Cell, and Regenerative Biology
Degree: VMD/PhD
Matriculation Year: 2020

Project Title: Unraveling Dairy-Probiotic Interactions: Exploring the Impact of Resultant Metabolite Mediators on Gut-Brain Axis Development

Advisor(s):

Dipti Pitta

Rotations:

Stewart Anderson
Christoph Thaiss
Ernestina Schipani
Dipti Pitta

Raegan Petch

Microbiology, Virology, and Parasitology
Degree: VMD/PhD
Matriculation Year: 2021

Rotations:

Ronald Harty

Carl Bannerman (he/him/his)

Microbiology, Virology, and Parasitology
Degree: MD/PhD
Matriculation Year: 2020

Project Title: Regulation of Neuronal Antiviral Response

Advisor(s):

Kellie Jurado

Rotations:

Frederic Bushman
Kelly Jordan-Sciutto
Kellie Jurado

Elizabeth Gonzalez

Genetics and Epigenetics
Degree: MD/PhD
Matriculation Year: 2020

Advisor(s):

Elizabeth Bhoj

Rotations:

Elizabeth Bhoj
Erica Korb

genetics, epigenetics, mendelian disorders

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Maxwell Frankfurter

Genetics and Epigenetics
Degree: MD/PhD
Matriculation Year: 2020

Project Title: Understanding the role of STRN3 in lymphatic development

Advisor(s):

Mark Kahn

Rotations:

Mark Kahn
Mitchell Lazar

Robert Hapke

Cancer Biology
Degree: MD/PhD
Matriculation Year: 2020

Advisor(s):

Evan Weber
Andy Minn

Rotations:

Saar Gill
Andy Minn

Sweta Narayan

Developmental, Stem Cell, and Regenerative Biology
Degree: MD/PhD
Matriculation Year: 2020

Project Title: Angiopoietin and VEGF Signaling in Murine Spiral Artery Remodeling.

Advisor(s):

Mark Kahn

Rotations:

Kenneth Zaret
Mark Kahn

vascular and lymphatic development of the placenta

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Paul Kaminski

Genetics and Epigenetics
Degree: MD/PhD
Matriculation Year: 2020

Project Title: Characterization of epigenetic modulators influencing the human beta globin locus

Advisor(s):

Gerd Blobel

Rotations:

Bradley Johnson

Blake Jardin

Gene Therapy and Vaccines
Degree: MD/PhD
Matriculation Year: 2020

Advisor(s):

Jonathan Epstein

Rotations:

Hao Wu
Jonathan Epstein
Michael Milone

cardiovascular disease/development, immune response/therapy

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Kenneth Pham

Genetics and Epigenetics
Degree: MD/PhD
Matriculation Year: 2020

Project Title: Dissecting pathogenic repeat expansions as a genetic cause of heterochromatin dysregulation

Advisor(s):

Jennifer Phillips-Cremins

Rotations:

Jennifer Phillips-Cremins
Katherine Uyhazi